


Truth Be Told

by DaisyDogOx



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad Ending, Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Gen, It's a bad end, NO ROYAL SPOILERS, Persona 5 Spoilers, Sellout Ending, Spoilers, i don't know how else to tell you it's not a happy fic okay?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyDogOx/pseuds/DaisyDogOx
Summary: Her voice faded to the background as the gravity of her words hit him. She was asking him to sell out his teammates, his friends. His initial reaction was to ask if she thought him insane. There was no way he’d give them up after he’d worked so hard to protect them in the first place. And yet… there was another voice in his head that told him to do it. What had they done for him? He’d volunteered to serve as a distraction for the police that awaited them in Sae’s palace, and in return they didn’t try so much as to contact him to let him know they were alright, or that they were working on a way to help him.“--the frequently-probing student council president of Shujin Academy--Makoto Niijima. Those are your accomplices in the Phantom Thieves case, are they not?”“That’s right,” he said at last.or, a more in-depth look at the sellout ending
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

> this contains NO SPOILERS for Persona 5 Royal

His head pounded as he listened to Sae-san drone on. He’d assumed the drugs would slowly wear off as he told his story and his memory would return, but nothing of the sort had happened so far. In fact, he’d nearly passed a few times and it was getting harder and harder to remember the details, even though they’d happened only days earlier.

He was torn from his thoughts as she sighed and leaned back, her chair scraping along the floor.

“There’s much more I'd like to ask, but my allotted time is nearly up. I do have a suggestion though.” She leaned forward again and refused to meet his eyes, her voice low. “...Care to strike a deal? If you cooperate with me, I’ll consider lightening your sentence.”

“A… deal?” The word was familiar in his mouth. It was one of the first things to make sense since the interrogation had started.

“I have a responsibility to solve this case. I _will_ win, even if it means brokering a deal with you. Your operation was leaked, and you failed to change my heart. There’s no point in being obstinate now.” She finally looked up at him and even through his haze he could see just how serious she was. “You’ve corrupted the order of this country and caused an uprising against its very existence. You’ll most likely be given life imprisonment or the death penalty. Unless,” she added, “you accept my proposal.”

He was silent.

“Going forward, I will read a list of people who are closest to you and this case. Tell me honestly whether or not the following are involved with the Phantom Thieves.” She cleared her throat. “First, the friend who you’ve been with since the day you transferred to Shujin--Ryuji Sakamoto. One of the victims of the Kamoshida case--Ann Takamaki.”

Her voice faded to the background as the gravity of her words hit him. She was asking him to sell out his teammates, his friends. His initial reaction was to ask if she thought him insane. There was no way he’d give them up after he’d worked so hard to protect them in the first place. And yet… there was another voice in his head that told him to do it. What had they done for him? He’d volunteered to serve as a distraction for the police that awaited them in Sae’s palace, and in return they didn’t try so much as to contact him to let him know they were alright, or that they were working on a way to help him.

“--the frequently-probing student council president of Shujin Academy--Makoto Niijima. Those are your accomplices in the Phantom Thieves case, are they not?”

He opened his mouth to respond but found himself hesitating. He felt as though he was forgetting something…

She drummed her fingers on the table, clearly awaiting an answer.

“That’s right,” he said at last.

“...As I thought. You’ve made a wise choice. I’ll do my best with what you’ve told me. Although,” she mused, “I expected you to have more of a backbone. It seems your reputation precedes you.”

He didn’t bother giving her any kind of answer as she gathered her things. He’d made his choice. He was no good to his friends if they executed him, nor if he spent life in prison. With a reduced sentence he’d be able to see them again some day and explain himself to them.

The door latched behind her and he was left alone with his thoughts again. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important, but he supposed it was too late.

He must’ve dozed off, because he was woken up by the door opening and the sound of footsteps. His first thought was that the men from earlier were back to torment him again. Instead it was Akechi in front of him. Before he could ask what was going on the boy grabbed the gun off the guard’s belt and fired a quick shot.

Everything came back to him at once as the man collapsed, and Akira realized what he’d just done.

“You know,” Akechi said, “you asked me if I wanted to join your little team earlier this month. I laughed, of course, and offered you a position at my side instead. Oh, how did I phrase it…?” He tapped a finger against his chin as if thinking. “Oh,” he said flatly. “Right. I said all you’d have to do is abandon the teammates you have now.”

Akira swallowed thickly, too afraid to interrupt.

“Do you remember what answer you gave me?”

“...I’m not doing that,” he said quietly.

“ _I’m not doing that._ So straightforward… at least you stick to your convictions. That’s what I thought, anyway, but here you are. Sae-san told me you gave her the names of your teammates. I suppose you were always willing to toss them aside if it was convenient for you. I just wasn’t good enough.” His lips curled back in a sneer and he swung the gun to point it at him.

“Oh well, case closed. This is how your _justice_ ends.”

Akira’s eyes went wide and his breath caught as he watched the other boy linger on the trigger.

_The others are in danger_ , he thought, and then everything went blank.

* * *

Ann’s head snapped up as the bell above the door rang, and she slumped down into her seat as she realized it was just Yusuke. He took a seat with the rest of them and Boss set a coffee in front of him wordlessly.

“We’re just waiting on Futaba, yeah?” Ryuji asked. “And Akira, of course.”

The girl slunk in with her laptop under her arm and tugged at Makoto’s sleeve.

“Ah, Futaba! We were just waiting for you.”

“We need to talk. Alone,” she emphasized.

Makoto hesitated as everyone looked at her expectantly. “...This’ll just take a minute,” she said before following her upstairs.

Futaba immediately claimed the sofa for herself and started scanning through different pages on her computer. “We might have a problem.”

“Might?”

“You saw the broadcast yesterday, yeah? About his suicide.”

“Of course, it was on almost every channel.”

She chewed on her lip as she debated the best way to say her piece. “I… Er, the Nav I was controlling… It’s complicated, but I needed to make sure your sister got the phone near Akechi in order to activate it. That meant I would hack into the cameras in the interrogation room and watch so I knew when she left and when to activate the Nav. And it all went great!” she said hurriedly. “I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I had a video feed and everything seemed to go according to plan!”

“Except…?”

“Except… I don’t know when she ran into Akechi.”

Makoto’s breath caught and she forced herself not to jump to any conclusions. “He couldn’t convince Sis?”

“I don’t know. Again, I didn’t have an audio feed. She definitely took the phone with her when she left the room. She just didn’t stop to talk to anyone, so there wasn’t time to activate it even if they passed each other in the hall. There were no cameras there so I couldn’t see.”

She swallowed thickly. “What exactly are you getting at?”

“I couldn’t get Akechi into the metaverse. At least, I don’t think I did.”

“Sis didn’t come home last night,” she said after a minute. “Do you think…?”

“I… couldn’t bring myself to check the feeds again,” she admitted. “Before the interrogation, what they did to him was just… _inhuman_.”

Makoto didn’t press the topic. “We should go back downstairs,” she said at last.

She just nodded and held her laptop close to her chest.

The others all grew silent as they took their spots in the nearest booth.

“Why’s everyone look so down?” Ryuji asked. “It was all just a trick, yeah? Where’s Akira?”

“I was also under the impression he’d be here when we arrived,” Yusuke said. “Boss, where--?”

Makoto quickly shook her head. “We all knew this plan was risky,” she started. “Every other plan wound up with him _definitely dead_ , and this one was just _probably dead_.”

“No,” Ann whispered.

“Something… Something went wrong during the interrogation. Futaba’s not sure Akechi made it to the metaverse at all.”

Everyone seemed to catch on.

“So the news of his death…”

“We haven’t confirmed it yet, but… it’s very likely, yes. Coupled with the fact that my sister didn’t come home last night, it’s safe to assume the change of heart failed and Akira is… he was…”

“But we got the treasure out of the metaverse,” Ryuji said weakly. “The briefcase he had was a fake!”

“It can take time for the change to occur. It took both Madarame and Okumura almost a _month_ , and we were relying on Sis’ to occur that day. We were so focused on ramping up the tension to ensure her treasure manifested in the first place, we forgot what happened afterwards.”

“Then Akira is… we got him _killed--!_ ” Ann got up suddenly and rushed to the bathroom, and they could hear retching. Makoto didn’t blame her, she’d felt nauseous since Futaba had gotten her alone.

“We… We lost?” Haru asked quietly. “What happens now? What are we supposed to do? Mako-chan, please--!”

She didn’t have an answer for the girl. “I think it’s best if we all spend some time apart. We can’t draw suspicion to ourselves now. As… _painful_ as it might be, at least in public we have to act like everyone else. We had no connection to the Phantom Thieves, and thus we can’t be personally affected by the news of his… suicide.”

“I told the school he went home because of a family issue,” Sojiro said, surprising them all. “The news reported he was on probation because of an assault charge so I don’t know how many people will believe that he simply went home, but it’s all I could do.”

“In that case, we could always use the excuse that we miss our friend because he had to go home suddenly and we’re not sure how he’s doing.”

“How are you so _calm_ through all of this?” Ryuji demanded, his hands shaking.

She couldn’t admit that she was putting her feelings aside because otherwise she’d be a crying mess like the rest of them. They needed a leader, and she’d always been his second in command.

Sojiro cleared his throat. “I understand if you don’t want to come here after everything that’s happened, but Leblanc will always be open if you need a place to just drop the act for awhile.”

“We… truly appreciate the offer.”

Yusuke wordlessly got to his feet and started for the door. Nobody tried to stop him, and Ryuji and Ann weren’t far behind.

“Where’s Mona-chan?” Haru asked, startling them.

“The cat wouldn’t stop pacing around down here so I let him out. I’m surprised he isn’t back yet,” Sojiro said.

“I’ll look for him,” the girl offered, and left without another word.

“It’s my fault,” Futaba mumbled. “Everything depended on me getting Akechi into the metaverse and I _failed_. It’s my fault Akira’s dead.”

Makoto knew nothing she could say would change the girl’s mind, so instead she thanked Boss for the coffee and excused herself.

The man meant well by offering them the café as a place to grieve, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to step foot in Leblanc or its attic for a long time.

* * *

Ryuji wasn’t sure where he was going. All he knew was he couldn’t spend another minute in the café, or he was going to start throwing punches.

He wound up at home and didn’t even give a second thought to the police cruiser parked in front of the building. It wasn’t a secret that he and his mom lived in a bad part of town.

He fumbled in his bag for his key and hesitated as he heard voices in the apartment.

“Mom?” he called.

There was the sound of something breaking and he rushed to his room, where his mother was pleading with two police officers who were rummaging through his things.

“Ryuji Sakamoto?”

“Uhh… yeah?”

He barely had time to register what was going on before one of them had him restrained and the other was going through his bag.

“H-Hey, what is this?”

They found his phone and forced him to unlock it, and started going through his camera roll.

“What the hell? You’ve gotta have, like, a warrant or something! Mom, what’s going on?!”

“They said you were a Phantom Thief,” she whispered. “Ryuji, is that why you’re always gone? You were with… that boy who killed himself?”

He tried to remember everything Makoto had mentioned about the police and the legal system during their plan. “What’s your basis for this, huh? I wanna see some evidence!”

They seemed to find what they were looking for and turned the phone back to him to reveal a picture of him, Ann, and Akira at the school festival.

“This boy was confirmed as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. He gave us the names of his teammates shortly before he killed himself. Your name was one of them.”

“What… the fuck…?”

Akira would never sell them out. Never. It had to be a trick of some kind.

“There’s also your group chat, containing everyone whose name came up, and very clear plans on how you were going to steal Sae Niijima’s heart.”

There was no talking his way out of that. All strength seemed to leave his body and he stopped fighting back.

“How long?” his mom demanded. “How long has this been going on?”

“According to Kurusu’s testimony, since mid-April. Your son was one of the first to join, along with Ann Takamaki. Are we to take it you weren’t aware of his identity?”

“No… No, that can’t be right! Ryuji, tell them it’s wrong!”

He kept his head down as they cuffed him and led him out of the apartment.

“What’s gonna happen to me now?” he asked as they shoved him in the back of the car.

“You’ll be put on trial, not that there’s any need for it when your own leader sold you out. Then you’ll either be given life imprisonment or the death penalty.”

“...Oh. And my mom?”

“She’ll be questioned thoroughly, and if it turns out she truly didn’t know, she’ll be let go.”

“Can you… go easy on her?”

“You’re in no position to be making demands.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “I just… I was already a bad son. I don’t want to cause any more trouble for her.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you became a member of the Phantom Thieves.”

He laughed without humor. _Yeah, probably. I was just doing it to get stronger, to make sure nobody hurt her again. Somehow it all went wrong._

* * *

Ann’s head was spinning as she left Leblanc. She couldn’t believe that Akira was dead, not after how hard they’d worked to make sure that he’d be okay in the end. She’d hated the plan from the very beginning, but knew that it was necessary if they wanted Akechi and the police off their tail. That didn’t make it any easier to accept that she was right in distrusting Futaba’s skills. The girl may have been able to hack an organization like Medjed, but Ann knew Akechi and his men were on another level.

_I should’ve done more to stop them from going through with this_ , she thought weakly. _Should’ve protested more, should’ve thought up other options._

Her body seemed to be moving on its own, and when she finally stopped thinking in circles she found herself in Shibuya. She didn’t even remember getting on the train.

Everyone around her seemed to be talking about the Phantom Thieves and she wanted to just cover her ears and run, but she remembered what Makoto had said earlier about not standing out.

_She’s not here, she doesn’t understand._

No, she knew she needed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and held it until everything else faded away. Then she wiped her eyes, checked that her makeup wasn’t too smudged, and started towards Central Street. If she had to pretend to be okay, she was at least going to do it while eating a double chocolate crepe.

The man running the shop seemed to recognize her, though whether from her modeling or just frequenting the stand she wasn’t sure, and he offered her a discount. She got her treat and all but collapsed on a bench at the station square. She was exhausted, and not sure what to do next.

Her phone buzzed and she nearly burst into tears again as she realized it was Shiho asking if she was alright with everything that was going on.

She dialed the girl’s number and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as it connected.

_“Ann?”_

“Shiho…”

_“I heard about Akira,”_ she said quietly. _“Turns out we get that kind of news even out here in the middle of nowhere.”_

She froze. “What do you--”

_“Oh Ann, you weren’t very good at hiding it. I knew as soon as Kamoshida had his change of heart. But that’s not important. How are you holding up?”_

“I… I feel like shit,” she admitted. “Feel like I should’ve done more to protect him or something. _Anything_. I… I told him he could rely on me if he needed, and now he’s dead.”

She didn’t hear the girl’s response as someone cleared their throat. “Ann Takamaki?”

“I’m not in the mood for autographs,” she said without looking up. “Clearly I’m a bit busy here.”

The phone was taken from her hands and she whipped around to snap at the person before she realized they were wearing a uniform.

“Ann Takamaki, you’re hereby under arrest on the charges of being a member of the Phantom Thieves.”

“What?” she demanded.

She was so stunned she couldn’t fight back as her hands were cuffed and she dropped her crepe.

“H-Hey, what’s going on? Where’s your proof?”

“We don’t need proof. Your leader sold you out.”

“ _What_?”

_“Ann? What’s going on?”_ Shiho asked.

The officer ended the call and she looked around frantically. Everyone was staring at her.

_Did he say Phantom Thief? But she looks like a high school student! Didn’t the news say their leader was a student too? What’s happening to this country if kids like them can cause such a mess?_

“What do you mean _sold me out?_ ”

“Not just you, but the rest of your little team too. Heard he struck a deal for a reduced sentence if he gave the rest of you up. Dunno why he’d go and kill himself if he got what he wanted… Maybe he just wanted the rest of you to go down with him. I still can’t believe it was a group of _kids_ though.”

Her voice failed her and she had no comeback. _It’s a mistake,_ she thought numbly. _It has to be a mistake. We know he didn’t kill himself, so maybe he didn’t sell us out either._

But if he had… what had happened in that interrogation room? And what was going to happen to _her_?

She found herself shoved in the back of a squad car and watched as the city passed by in a blur.

“What’s going to happen to me now?” she asked after awhile.

“You’ll be put on trial, though it’s more of a formality at this point. Then you’ll either spend life in prison, or you’ll get the death penalty.”

“And… my parents? What’s going to happen to them?”

“They’ll be questioned, and if it’s found they had any connections to the Phantom Thieves, they’ll serve time as well. That’s unlikely though. Your file said they were abroad, didn’t it?”

_It doesn’t matter if they’re found innocent,_ she realized bleakly. _Their reputation will be ruined once it gets out that their daughter was a Phantom Thief._

She’d just wanted to change the hearts of bastards like Kamoshida so nobody would be hurt by them again. How had everything gone so wrong?

* * *

Yusuke had tuned out most of the conversation as soon as he realized what Makoto was getting at. He refused to believe that their leader was dead, not after they’d taken so many precautions to make sure the plan would succeed and they’d all make it out unscathed.

He felt numb, and found his legs carrying him to the station before he really knew what he was doing. He pulled out the earbuds Futaba had given him and shuffled his music library, and did his best to zone out as the subway car started to move.

He was torn from his thoughts by someone shaking his shoulder and he removed one earbud.

“Sorry, you looked like you were asleep and I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss your stop. You’ve been on this train awhile.”

“Where are we?”

“Nearly to Ginza.”

“Ah… I meant to transfer at Shibuya.”

The man gave him an odd look. “Are you alright?”

Was he? He didn’t think so.

When he didn’t give an answer the man drew back and turned away, and kept looking over his shoulder until he got off in Asakusa.

Yusuke just sighed and closed his eyes again until he heard the loudspeaker announce that they were in Shibuya.

He’d meant to go to the gallery, as it always helped clear his head when he was in a slump, but he found that he didn’t have the strength and instead started back towards Kosei.

He reached for the keyring on his belt but came up empty-handed, and realized he’d left in such a rush to see Akira again that morning that he’d left everything in his room. The last of his strength seemed to leave him and his head slipped forward to rest on the door. He didn’t have enough money to pay the fee for locking himself out again.

_I suppose if I really ration my meals this week… and don’t buy any new supplies, even if I need them…_

He was about to accept his fate and explain his situation to whoever was on duty at the front desk when he realized the door wasn’t locked.

_Was I in that much of a rush? No, I always remember to lock the door when I leave._

Panic welled up within him but curiosity was stronger and he ventured into the room, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight that greeted him.

His canvases, which had been carefully lined up along the walls, were strewn throughout the room. It took him a moment to realize all of them had been punctured or cut in some way. His supplies were scattered across the floor as well, still-drying oil paint and pencils snapped in half littering the corner.

He fell to his knees and found that he could barely breathe. All of his works, destroyed in an instant.

He forced himself to his feet and scanned the room. Had one of Akechi’s men come to finish off the rest of them? Were he and his friends in danger?

His thoughts only stopped racing as he realized the closet with the stuck hinge had been forced open as well, and his stomach dropped.

Desire and Hope, the piece that had won the exhibition only a few weeks earlier, was destroyed just like everything else.

He didn’t hear the door open, too lost in ways he could potentially repair the painting, and didn’t realize he wasn’t alone until a pair of handcuffs were snapped around his wrists.

“Yusuke Kitagawa, you’re hereby under arrest on the charges of being a member of the Phantom Thieves.”

“What?”

He was hauled to his feet and shoved out of his room. Doors up and down the hall opened as other students investigated the noise.

_Wait, a Phantom Thief? That’s Madarame’s former pupil, isn’t it? You mean he changed his own master’s heart? Do you think he meant to kill him like they did Okumura?_

“No,” he murmured. “No, this is wrong! Where’s your proof?”

“No need for proof. You were sold out by your leader before he killed himself.”

“ _What?_ Akira would never--!”

“Alright, nothing to see here!” the officer snapped.

Yusukue cast one desperate glance back at his room. “Where are you taking me? What’s going to happen?”

“I think you know what happens next. _Murderers_ don’t get treated very well, even if you’re a minor.”

He was silent as he was forced into the back of a police car, and watched as the school grew smaller in the distance.

_The others_ , he thought frantically.

“My friends--”

“Your name wasn’t the only one, don’t worry. We know about all of your accomplices. You’ll all be serving time. If you don’t just get the death penalty, that is.”

The officer laughed and Yusuke stared at the floor, watching as the world slowly went out of focus.

* * *

“Mona-chan!” Haru called. “Mona-chan? Please come out if you can hear me!”

She checked behind a pair of trash cans to find two cats, one of them with a pattern like Morgana’s but no collar.

“Mona-chan?”

The cat just meowed back at her and she sighed.

“Probably not a good idea to be yelling a Phantom Thief’s name in the streets,” someone said from above her.

She looked up and he was perched on the wall.

“Mona-chan! Akira is… he’s…”

He curled his tail around his legs and bowed his head. “I know.”

Neither of them seemed to know what to say and he jumped into her arms, resting his head on her shoulder. Her body shook as she tried to stifle her cries and he just nuzzled against her.

“What are we supposed to do now? Mako-chan was trying to be a leader but I could tell it was an act. It’s probably her sister’s fault that this happened at all…”

“We don’t know that for sure, and it’s not right to blame her. Maybe he did convince her and the Nav just didn’t work, or something we don’t even know about got in the way. The plan… it wasn’t perfect. It was just our only option.”

She held him closer. “The Phantom Thieves are over, aren’t they?”

He didn’t want to lie to the girl, so he didn’t answer at all. “I don’t think I can stay at Leblanc,” he said instead. “Would you… let me stay with you? I promise if I wander I’ll always come back.”

She nodded silently.

She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that in that alley, but by the time they got up the sun was low in the sky.

“We should go home, Mona-chan.”

He jumped out of her arms and stretched. “I’ll be back later. I want some time alone still. Don’t worry, I remember where your house is.”

“Don’t stay out too late.”

“A member of the Phantom Thieves can always fend off dang--” He trailed off and took off down the street, ears flat against his head.

Haru wiped her eyes and messaged for someone to pick her up.

She got in the car wordlessly and the driver didn’t try to make small talk, which she appreciated more than she could express in that moment.

The house felt even emptier than usual and she shut herself in her room and fell back on the bed. She knew the plants on her balcony needed tending to but couldn’t summon the strength to get up.

Then there was a knock at the door and a member of the staff entered.

“Pardon, but there are a few men here to see you. Police officers,” they clarified.

“I’m not in the mood to discuss my father.”

“They say it’s not about your father.”

She forced herself up. “Tell them I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

They bowed and left, and she ran a brush through her hair and dabbed some concealer under her eyes. She needed to appear professional, no matter the circumstances. That was the Okumura way.

She found the two men in the parlor.

“Excuse my lateness. What can I help you with?”

“Haru Okumura?”

“Yes?”

“You’re hereby under arrest on the charges of being a member of the Phantom Thieves.”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s no point in denying the charges. Your leader sold you out.”

_“What?”_

She flinched as her hands were cuffed and they pushed her towards the front door.

“This has to be some kind of mistake! Akira would never--!”

“Tell me, did you join specifically so you could kill your father?”

“How dare you even suggest such a thing!” she cried. “The Phantom Thieves never killed anyone! It was Akechi-kun!”

“The Detective Prince?” he scoffed. “You’ll have to come up with a better excuse than that. He was the one who figured out who your leader was.”

She was in shock as they forced her into the back of a squad car.

_Mona-chan!_ she thought suddenly, sitting up. _He won’t know where I am! Is this happening to everyone? What if he tries to find the others and they’re gone as well? He won’t know what’s going on!_

She thought she saw a familiar yellow collar as they sped towards the police station, and her tears finally spilled over.

* * *

“I’m home,” Makoto said weakly. There was no answer and she assumed she was alone again until she entered the kitchen and saw her sister sitting at the counter.

“Welcome back.”

“Oh, Sis, I didn’t think you’d be back today.”

She gave a noncommittal hum.

“What do you think of all that news about the leader of the Phantom Thieves? You interrogated him a few days ago, right? It’s really a shame you couldn’t figure out his methods before he…” She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

“I got enough information out of him,” she said quietly.

“Really? That… That’s good! What kind of information, or is it classified?”

She hesitated, and Makoto’s grin wavered. “Sis?”

“He gave me the names of his teammates,” she said at last, and the other girl’s breath caught. “I’m sure you know what he told me.”

“No…”

“How long, Makoto?”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When did you become one of them? Last month? Earlier? There’s no use lying.”

“...Late June. The case with Kaneshiro.”

Sae swallowed thickly and Makoto could see that her hands were shaking. “That’s when you started coming home late and your exam scores dropped. I should’ve known.”

“They--no, _we_ aren’t murderers!” she cried. “We didn’t kill Okumura, and we didn’t even target Principal Kobayakawa! And I only joined them in the first place because students at Shujin were being blackmailed into smuggling drugs!”

“Even if his story was true and there was some kind of third party causing the mental shutdowns, what you were doing was _illegal_. You can’t just disregard the law because it’s inefficient. That’s why I became a prosecutor, to fix this country and it’s awful system.”

“Something changed,” Makoto whispered. “That’s why we had to steal your heart!”

“You didn’t. You failed to steal my heart and your leader sold you out. Honestly I’d expected more out of him, but I suppose self-preservation is a strong motivator.”

“What… What happens now?”

She glanced at her phone. “The police will be here shortly. I can’t protect you anymore. Not from something like this.”

“Sis--!”

“...I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more. Maybe none of this would have happened if this country weren’t so broken. It’s a shame you never got to see how I was going to fix it.”

“You weren’t fixing anything! I saw your heart! It was a casino you had rigged in your favor--!”

“ _That’s enough!_ ” Sae snapped. “I suggest you let your friends know what happened. If the police haven’t already gotten to them, that is.”

“What’s going to happen to you?” she asked, her voice breaking.

“I was living with a Phantom Thief and didn’t even know it. No, I just didn’t want to see it. I’m sure they’ll enjoy demoting me and keeping me from ever climbing my way back up. If they keep me around at all.”

Makoto’s voice failed her and she could only watch as her sister called the police on her.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive, but it was enough time that every emotion had seemed to drain away and she felt numb as they shoved her into the backseat of the car. Her sister hadn’t even come outside to watch as she was driven off.

“What happens now?” she asked quietly.

“A trial, of course. Not that there’s much need for it when your own leader sold you out. Then probably either life in prison or the death penalty.”

“...Of course.”

A trial. Would her sister be prosecuting? She was in charge of the Phantom Thieves case, so it was plausible. Or would the system have already gotten rid of her for unknowingly sheltering Makoto? Perhaps they’d have her prosecute just to remind her of how the system worked and why it was important to remember one’s role.

She finally broke down. No matter the outcome, she knew she wouldn’t see her sister for a long time. Not the real Sae, anyway.

* * *

Futaba couldn’t breathe. The walls felt like they were closing in and she curled her knees to her chest, rocking in the booth and muttering to herself.

_“It’s my fault. It was my job and I failed. I’m the reason he’s dead. It’s mom all over again.”_

“I’m sure it’s not your fault,” Sojiro said weakly.

“It was my job to get Akechi into the metaverse,” she said without looking up. “Everything relied on me, and I _failed_.”

“That… That can’t be right. There must’ve been something else--”

“I’m the reason Akira’s dead!” she snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks.

There was nothing he could say to comfort her. Not when he had no idea what she was talking about. “...Any system that relies on children to change it was broken beyond repair in the first place,” he said at last.

She’d gone back to rocking and he sighed and reached for his cigarettes. The pack was empty and he swore under his breath.

“I’m going out. I’ll be back in a few minutes, alright?”

No answer, not that he expected one.

Sojiro still wasn’t back by the time she uncurled from a ball. _Maybe he went home. Or maybe he’s not coming back at all because his fake daughter is useless and gets everyone close to her killed and--_

Her thoughts continued to spiral and she was only torn from them as the bell above the door rang.

“Sojiro!”

The men who entered the shop were decidedly _not_ Sojiro and she fought the urge to retreat into herself again.

“Where’s Sojiro Sakura?”

Every nerve in her body told her to run. “W-Why do you need to know?” she managed.

They looked at each other before turning back to her. “Are you Futaba Sakura?”

Her throat seemed to constrict and her voice failed her.

“Sojiro and Futaba Sakura are under arrest,” they explained. “For sheltering two members of the Phantom Thieves and being a member, respectively.”

_No. No no no no no._

She was saved as the bell rang again and Sojiro entered, smelling strongly of smoke.

“The sign clearly says closed. I’m going to have to ask you two to leave.”

“Are you the owner of this establishment?”

Futaba wanted to scream at him not to tell them but it felt as though she were watching from the outside in. Her body wouldn’t move, no matter how much she wanted it to.

“I am.”

“And is that your daughter?”

“What the hell do you want?”

“The two of you are under arrest.”

“For what?” he demanded.

“Knowingly housing Phantom Thieves.”

Futaba watched as recognition flashed in his eyes and he forced his way past the men to stand in front of her. “I’m going to have to ask you to get the hell out of my shop.”

“Mr. Sakura, there’s no point in resisting.”

“They’re just _kids_.”

“We still don’t understand their methods, but that doesn’t change the fact that people are dead because of them.”

“We didn’t kill anyone,” Futaba whimpered.

“Where’s your proof?” Sojiro asked.

“On that laptop in front of her, I’m sure.”

“So you don’t have any yet, and you’ve no basis on which to arrest us.”

“There’s also a confession from her leader.”

_“What?”_

Futaba flinched.

“He sold out his teammates for a reduced sentence. Not that it makes any sense because he killed himself right after, but he confessed nonetheless.”

_Before the interrogation,_ she realized. _The signed confession… no the drugs--they can cause gaps in memory. He never convinced Sae to show Akechi the phone because he didn’t remember the plan in the first place!_

Having worked out the solution didn’t make it any easier to deal with and she curled tighter in on herself as the one tried to rip her from the booth.

“Don’t touch her!” Sojiro snapped, struggling against the officer restraining him.

They finally managed to cuff her and grabbed her laptop as they shoved them out the door.

_At least they won’t be able to get into my computer. Not with how I encrypted everything. Though… it doesn’t matter if Akira really…_

She watched mutely as Sojiro was forced into the back of a police car. He was muttering about how he knew his rights and he shot her one last look before the door was slammed on him.

She wanted so badly to scream, or fight back, or cause some kind of scene, but instead she was frozen. She got in the other car without any issues just so they’d stop _looking at her like that._

She tried to remember everything she knew about the court system. They’d be on trial, obviously, although it was more of a formality if Akira had truly sold them out. Her crimes would be mostly cyber-related, although she supposed she’d get lumped in with the rest of the Thieves and be charged with possession of weapons and manslaughter as well. It didn’t really matter to her. Without Akira or Sojiro, she had nothing to live for. She didn’t care what they did to her. She was more worried about _him_.

“What.... What’s gonna happen to him?” she asked, finding her voice again.

“He knowingly harbored you and your leader, offered his shop as a place to hold your meetings, and refused to turn you in once a warrant was issued. He’s considered an accomplice and will be punished appropriately.”

The words barely registered and all she could hear was her panicked breathing. She couldn’t get enough air in her lungs no matter how hard she tried, and everything else slowly faded away until she couldn’t feel anything at all.

* * *

He hadn’t wanted to come back to Leblanc. Just being nearby made his fur stand on end and he kept looking over his shoulder, though if he was expecting Akira or a threat he still wasn’t sure himself.

He’d gone to Haru’s house just as the sun was setting and waited outside but nobody opened the door. A member of the staff tried to shoo him away and he climbed the wall and tried to get in the back, but all of the windows were shut there as well. It was as though the girl had forgotten, or was simply ignoring him.

And so he returned to Leblanc, where he found himself scratching at the door and waiting for Sojiro or Futaba to let him inside.

“This is _ridiculous_ ,” he muttered. “I understand that they don’t want me downstairs when the café is open for business, but they don’t have to lock me out like this! I’ll go upstairs and stay out of the way!”

He gave one final yowl in the hopes that they’d hear him.

Then he realized that the sign was flipped to _Closed_ and the lights were off inside.

Had they gone home?

He was about to check when he heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

“Here, kitty kitty kitty,” Akechi crooned.

Morgana ducked behind a trash can as he heard the footsteps grow closer.

“I know you’re around here somewhere~” he singsonged. “Couldn’t bear the thought of leaving your master behind, could you? Not after that girl left you alone.”

His breath caught.

“That stupid foreign girl, the prissy heiress, the shut-in _freak_ … They’re all gone. Now why don’t you come out and I’ll tell you exactly what happened to them?”

He tried to stay perfectly still as Akechi stopped right in front of his hiding place.

“I don’t know what your little plan was--because I’m sure you had one--but it didn’t matter in the end. Your precious leader was drugged out of his mind in that room and he _gave you up_. That’s right, I didn’t even have to do anything to get the rest of your miserable little group arrested. Oh, I wish I could’ve been in the room when it happened. Sae-san got that luxury in the end.”

Morgana was fighting the urge to claw that smug expression off of him when a gloved hand grabbed his collar and he was lifted into the air.

“I suppose it was worth it to see the recognition flash in his eyes as I leveled that gun at him,” he continued.

He watched as Akechi reached into his jacket with his free hand and pulled out a gun.

“This isn’t the one I used to kill your friend, of course. I had to leave that one behind to frame it as a suicide. But it’s the same model, and that’s what really matters here. That you’ll die the same way he did.” He leveled the gun at Morgana’s head. “What, no final words?”

He wasn’t thinking about the weapon about to blow his brains out. Instead he was focused on Akechi’s words: _your precious leader was drugged out of his mind in that room and he gave you up._

They’d hurt Akira, and badly enough that he didn’t remember the plan they’d revised and gone over hundreds of times. What had his final moments been like, when he realized the mistake he’d made? Did he think of them? Or was he too far gone? He supposed he’d never find out.

Akechi seemed tired of waiting and he pressed the barrel against his head, and Morgana flinched at how cold it was.

“Case closed.”

He pulled the trigger.

The smell was revolting and he tossed the now limp body into one of the nearby trash cans, along with his soiled glove. He grabbed his phone and called the first number in his contacts.

“Shido-san, it’s done.”

_“I’ve told you not to call me by name.”_

“My apologies. I just thought it might be okay under these circumstances, seeing as anyone who might’ve posed a threat to you has been taken care of. Joker and the cat are dead, and the rest of the Thieves have been arrested.”

_“What of their other accomplices?”_

“The owner of the café was detained along with his daughter. As for those like the ex-yakuza member and the fortune teller, they had no direct connection. They were merely pawns.”

_“I want them taken care of anyway.”_

“Wouldn’t the death of so many people at once raise suspicion?”

_“I don’t care how you do it, just get it done.”_

“Understood.”

The call ended and he sighed and dug a fresh pair of gloves out of his pocket. His work was never done.

**Author's Note:**

> *PLEASE NO ROYAL SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS*  
> I haven't finished it yet. I reached the sellout ending (11/20) and immediately saved my game and wrote this in four days, and i haven't turned on my PS4 since to keep it fresh in my mind. That said, *how about that new akechi confidant huh?*
> 
> I'm so disappointed with the sellout ending tho??? like he gave up his friends and we don't see ANYTHING that comes out of it??? so naturally i had to fix that
> 
> listen i know i said 2020 was the year we treated Akira better but then This happened and I'm not exactly in the mood to write friendship and love and peace, so we're back to angst. and as soon as i finish Royal i have a lot of Goro-centric stuff i want to write so be on the lookout for that~
> 
> Come yell at me on Twitter! [DaisyDogOx!](https://twitter.com/DaisyDogOx)


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